Surfing a real sport

Your dad probably never surfed or watched one too many Hollywood movies portreying surfers as burnouts or bank robbers. Can't blame him for thinking he knows what is best for you. And in reality he probably wants what is best for you. To be a well-rounded person, in good physical condition and able to make group decisions as a team. As the father of two girls and a surfer I would rather my daughters surf over anything else. It would teach them self-reliance, good physical conditioning and focus among other things. But that's my perspective on the matter, because I surf. If I was a star football player in high school I would want my son to play football. See what I'm getting at? Listen to your dad with an open mind and try to compromise on surfing vs. an organized sport. Do both and you'll be well-rounded individual and your dad will probably opt on letting you surf more because you respect his opinion. Just .02 cents from a surf minded dad.

 

It has most of that good stuff..

teamwork-- what about golf and tennis(singles)? They are sports and there is no "Team".
dedication-- if you want to get good you have to practice
hardwork-- when I come out of the water I am dead. I literally go and lay on the beach for 5 minutes before I go home.

It has everything as every other sport. Those who "diss" it most likely haven't surfed or if they have they go out on knee high waves, there isn't anything wrong with knee high waves but it's completely different from head high +, and only catch around 5-10 waves then call it a day. They don't have a passion for it. Therefore they really don't see the difficulty in trying to pull off some of those cool tricks, mainly because they have tried.

 

surfing - yes
boogie boarding - no

 

Dude, don't sweat it. My pops used to say the same thing to me 30 years ago. Now he asks if I have been surfing lately, then says he thinks it's great that I still do it so many years later. He's probably intimidated by that fact that you do it, and there is some little part in him that wishes he did. Let me try to put this in a perspective that is understandable; two time combat vet-two wars (bronze star), 17 years as a cop in one of the roughest small towns on the east coast, two adult children that either graduated with honors or are still in college on the dean's list. After all that I still say one of the smartest things I ever did was surf and continue to this day, even with a pace maker. I run marathons and I still rate going out on a big stormy day higher on the cardio scale.

 

Get your dad in the water for a couple of hours and then ask him if he thinks it's a real sport when he can barely move the next day after flailing around like a kook for two hours. Then ask him how he would feel after 4+ hours in waves of consequence assuming he actually had the skills to surf.

I can see where he's coming from with the teamwork aspect, but there are a lot of sports that don't involve teamwork (as tommyjohn pointed out above) like certain track events and cross-country. Does he consider those "sports"?

 

ahhhh Fantastic! For the last 17 years lol, still to this day! I made a 5'8" for some guy' daughter and my dad's exact words "What is the guy soft? what an idiot lettting his 10 year daughter surf"????????!@#$#$%#

 

Sport is sport if you want to excel. You gotta keep fit to surf, and you gotta keep fit to play football or whatever else you choose to do. The difference is the fact that surfers are often not recognized for their efforts and dedication to their sports. Most folks view sports for kids as an activity you are recognized for. If you're mediocre at basketball, and you sit the bench all season yet your team wins the playoffs or whatever, you still go home with a trophy for all your hard work. If you rip your local breaks harder than any other kid in your age bracket and don't compete, you go home with water logged in your ears unless you compete and travel all over the place.

Tell your Dad to slap on a 5 mil in January and paddle-out on a head high day. After he gives-up blue faced and exhausted he will be humbled and impressed by the folks who can. My old man was a seaman for decades. He understands the power of the ocean. He thinks the folks that actually seek and ride waves that he used to avoid when being on a ship are out of their minds and brave. You Dad doesn't have a reference, unfortunately. That's too bad.

 

Hey dude - In my 25 years of life I have experienced a lot of different types of sports. I was an all star hockey player, captain of high school and would have played college if not for an ACL tear the summer prior. I played varsity baseball and was seriously into freestyle/downhill mountain biking, quading, and skateboarding in my lifetime - surfing by far humbles me as much as any of them when it comes to athleticism. It is an serious work out possibly more-so than any other sport I've been into and there is a culture/etiquette aspect too it as well. One thing I have realized when talking to others about the intensity surfing can bring is that they really just don't know the feeling until they've tried it... keep charging waves.

 

ftw!!!!!!!

 

Your Pops is a dope...

 

Not a sport? That's the opinion of an ex jock if I ever heard one. Sorry but he has no idea what he's talking about. I can remember guys from the football team asking me to take them surfing back in high school. After trying to paddle out on a waist high day they were breathing like a bloated 50 year old. If they were able to get out beyond the breaking waves they usually colapsed on the board like they were dying. That is if they were even able to balance themselves on the board, in most cases they werent able to stay on the board for more than a few seconds and kept rolling off.

 

yep....my parents are very negligent towards the sport...they often mock me for it and will not support the effort of driving more than 10 minutes to get to a good break...oh, when I can drive, I'll surf EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME

 

Sports signify competition. Surfing may or may not be competitive - with yourself or with others. I'd argue, for most, it is personal achievement to improving the way they ride waves. Similar to how an amateur golfer wants to keep getting lower rounds. And, of course competition surfing is sport. Some may also argue its more of an art form... I'd say its both.

 

I would just like to say that cross-country is one of if not the most team oriented sport there is; that being said, I'll agree with certain track events to an extent but even then, the shot put counts just as much for the team as the 4x400m relay

 

+1 couldn't agree more, having ran XC and track, if it weren't for my teammates we would have never won a state championship.

to the OP, i think your Dad is trying to give you sound advice, take it with a grain of salt. Team sports build character, social skills and confidence. People who don't surf have absolutely no idea what it's all about, they see it as something hippie, pot smoking losers do...but if they only knew, actually it's probably better they don't. Keep the stoke and no matter what anyone says...surf!

 

On second thought maybe suring isn't a sport but an athletic lifestyle. Whenever I have been asked if I liked sports I always answered "no I surf"

 

I enjoy surfing more than any other activity I've ever been involved in....I have since I first tried it, but I don't consider it a sport.

It certainly requires a high degree of athleticism, in many respects, but I surf for fun, for me, and I don't compete against anyone else....just doesn't seem like a sport. It's completely different from the traditional sports I've played, and more enjoyable for me than any sport I've played.

That said, I have fond memories of playing organized sports, and think their great for building character, a sense of team work etc etc. I hope as my kids grow, they'll be interested in sports, and surfing. Your dad probably just wants you to experience the positive aspects of traditional sports, and probably doesn't really understand surfing.

When I was younger, I took my dad out on a 2-3 foot day. Gave him a longboard and a wetsuit and he gave it a shot. He was back on the beach in 30 minutes AMAZED at how much work it was and how difficult it was. I think he's had a lot of respect for surfing ever since. I would try that if your dad is game, it might give him some perspective.

 

i have to say that, though i participated in traditional sports growing up, this thread is just another addition to the long list of reasons i'm glad that my father surfs. i've never had to explain myself to anyone in my family. i never considered how lucky i was...

 

Everyone basically touched on everything in regards to athleticism and surfing as a sport, but in your case w/ your dad, sounds like he's dissapointed in what your not doin rather than what you are. By that I mean maybe all he sees is you running out the door w/ your board(that he may or may not have dropped money on) then coming home to sleep on the couch! Or he just wants you to be doing something he understands or can relate to. I have a lot of people in my life that dont surf but they never question surfing because they see the hardwork, things you should make sure dad is aware of. Exercising when its flat, maintaining your gear and quiver, building a board rack or suit drying rack, walking out the door to go surf while everyone else is still sleeping. Most people hate or dissaprove of things they dont understand or know nothing about, educate him and let him see the hardwork and dedication you put into it(probably what he cares about most), then let him see you surf on a big day...I'm sure he'd change his mind. And if he doesnt, continue anyway because you should surf for yourself and not for anyone else.

just dont leave your wetsuit rolled up in the corner smellin and wet while your in the kitchen grubbin on his food, that won't help your cause.